Date: Sat, 8 Apr 1995 02:22:47 -0400 From: alerts@gatekeeper.nra.org (NRA Alerts) To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: GRASSFIRE: U.S. House Holds Historic Hearings, & More (April 1995) NRA GRASSFIRE! The Newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers April 1995 Vol. 1, No. 4 U.S. HOUSE HOLDS HISTORIC HEARINGS On March 31st, in front of a packed room with NRA members spilling out into the hallway, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), gavelled to order the first of a series of hearings designed to educate the American public on firearms ownership issues and the Second Amendment, as part of the Congressional effort to overturn the '94 gun ban. This hearing centered on the use of firearms for self-defense. Unlike the past when pro-gun witnesses were limited to one or two, this hearing featured eight men and women who told compelling stories of how they used firearms to save their lives. Their testimony made a mockery of Rep. Charles Schumer's (D-NY) opening statement where he called self-defense a "non-issue." Panelists' testimonies varied widely. A Korean shop owner told of defending himself during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. A camper described using his Mini-14 and 30-round magazine to stop his assailants. A woman explained how she managed to send two intruders fleeing by merely chambering a round in her Colt AR-15. The underlying theme of each individual's testimony was the same -- their firearm was the difference between life and death. Later in the day, testimony was heard by two of the nation's most prominent scholars on firearms-related issues, who reiterated the effectiveness of firearms as a deterrent to crime. On April 5th, the House Subcommittee held its second hearing, which featured the testimony of six officers varying in rank from patrolman to police chief. These officers refuted the often repeated myth that the police support gun control, and urged Subcommittee members to repeal the Clinton gun ban. Tulsa police officer Craig Roberts emphasized that during his tenure as a policeman, he has never seen an instance where a criminal used an "assault weapon." Officer Roberts noted that his experience matched those of hundreds of his fellow men and women in blue who also have never encountered an "assault weapon" wielding criminal. Finally, the Sub- committee heard from a host of Second Amendment scholars who spoke to the fact that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. Included among the scholars who debunked the myth that the Second Amendment pertains only to "militias": Profs. Joyce Lee Malcolm, Daniel Polsby, Robert Cottrol and Nicholas Johnson. In addition to the long overdue discussion of the Second Amendment, and lack of support for gun control by police, long- time and new voices in the gun rights movement surfaced: Reps. Steve Schiff (R-NM), Bob Barr (R-GA), Fred Heineman (R-NC), Ed Bryant (R-TN), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Helen Chenoweth (R-ID), all spoke eloquently on the right of citizens to defend themselves. Although not a member of the Committee, Rep. Chenoweth received permission from the Chairman to participate in the hearings, where she stated her unequivocal support for the right to self-defense and the relevance of the Second Amendment in today's society. Rep. Barr, Chairman of the House Firearms Legislation Task Force, clearly emerged as a pro-gun champion unafraid to take on vocal gun grabbers like Reps. Schumer and Mel Watt (D-NC), when he rebutted Schumer's opening remarks by noting people who choose to own firearms are not "extremists," but rather average law-abiding citizens. Perhaps Mr. Schumer would be well advised to take a piece of advice offered by Congressman Barr -- "open your eyes!" SENATOR SHELBY GRILLS BATF Sparks flew on March 23, when the Senate Appropriations Treasury, Postal Service & General Government Subcommittee took on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). Staunch pro-gun Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) faced-off with BATF Director John Magaw, and grilled him on instance after instance of BATF's abuse of civil rights -- attacking the home of a cancer patient in Pennsylvania, shooting a half-asleep woman in Missouri, and shoving a pregnant woman against the wall of her Ohio home, prompting her miscarriage. Senator Shelby didn't stop there -- he is now demanding a full accounting from this rogue agency. Stay tuned! THEY'RE BAAACK! While most of the talk in Congress centers around repealing the Clinton gun ban, at least two members of Congress are pushing for more "gun control" restrictions. Notorious anti-gunners Rep. Schumer and Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) have introduced bills (H.R. 1321/S. 631) to expand the regulatory authority of BATF, and calling for a host of new restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, including: licensing gun owners and purchasers of ammunition; registration of firearms and handgun barrels (yes, you read that correctly!); limiting the number of handguns which can be lawfully purchased to one per month; allowing the Secretary of the Treasury to grant FFLs only if he deems that the lawful demand for handguns in a given area is sufficient; and allowing inspections of dealers whenever federal bureaucrats deem them to be "necessary." H.B. 1321 and S. 631 have long way to go before they're debated in either chamber -- if they get that far! Stay tuned! CONGRESS TO RECESS APRIL 7TH On April 7th, Congress is scheduled to take a brief recess, and many lawmakers will head home for "town meetings" with their constituents. It's important that as many firearm owners as possible attend these meetings to urge their federal legislators to support efforts to repeal the Clinton gun ban. Action Alert! Please call your U.S. Representative's office at (202) 225-3121 and find out if he has scheduled any town meetings during this break. If he has, please attend and encourage your family and friends to attend as well! Also, please call 1-800-392-8683 and let NRA-ILA know that these meetings are scheduled -- we'll then alert our members! PAYING A PRICE FOR UPHOLDING HIS OATH Supporting his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole has pledged his support for overturning President Clinton's gun ban this year. Unfortunately, the media elite have been using their First Amendment rights to attack Senator Dole for his support of our Second Amendment rights. We respect Senator Dole's commitment to freedom, and encourage our members to contact their local papers to voice their appreciation for Senator Dole standing up to the media's heat and supporting our Second Amendment rights. BILLS ON THE MOVE IN THE STATES Thanks to you, a number of pro-gun measures have been signed into law in 1995, and still others are pending. Legislation to allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense has been signed into law in Arkansas, Idaho and Utah. In Virginia, the General Assembly has passed right to carry reform legislation, and Gov. George Allen's office says he will sign the bill following the inclusion of NRA-supported amendments to strengthen the bill. Statewide firearms preemption bills, which set uniform gun laws throughout the state, have been signed by the governors of Georgia, Utah and Wyoming. (Gov. Zell Miller of Georgia also signed an instant check bill into law and the legislature adopted a resolution encouraging public schools to implement the NRA Eddie Eagle gun safety program.) Also, a range protection bill was signed into law in Wyoming, and is awaiting the Governor's signature in Indiana. A number of other measures supporting the rights of law- abiding citizens are making their way through the legislative process: in California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, right to carry bills are at different stages of the legislative process. Bills calling for state firearms preemption are moving in Illinois, Kansas, Oregon and Wisconsin, while legislation which seeks to protect shooting ranges from being closed due to frivolous lawsuits is pending in Maine, Minnesota, and Tennessee. NRA has managed to defeat, or is working on killing, a number of anti-gun bills in various state legislatures. Due to publication restraints, not all firearms- related bills for every state can be listed. For additional information on legislation in your state, please contact 1-800- 392-8683. Special California Alert: California residents have a chance to influence the direction of the California Department of Fish and Game. Boyd Gibbons, Director of the Department of Fish and Game, has submitted his resignation to Governor Pete Wilson who will be making a new appointment. Members should contact the Governor and urge him to appoint a Director who supports sportsmen and who is aware of their valuable contributions! NRA CRIMESTRIKE MOUNTS OHIO PAROLE BLOCK When we learned that the Ohio Parole Board was poised to consider the parole of convicted murderer Shawn Keffer after he had served just 15 years of a life sentence for the brutal murder of a 19-year-old Columbus man, NRA CrimeStrike sprang into action! Working with the victim's family and Ohio Rep. Michael R. Fox, NRA CrimeStrike held press conferences and delivered petitions bearing signatures of 4,670 Ohio citizens opposed to Keffer's parole. Our efforts paid off! On March 31, Keffer was denied parole. Stopping parole is vital to our Second Amendment rights, since criminals on parole commit more crimes for which law-abiding gun owners are blamed. Rest assured NRA CrimeStrike will continue to blaze new paths in this arena! CLAIMS OF BRADY ACT'S SUCCESS DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY Recent stories in the press boast that in its first year, the Brady Act prevented tens of thousands of handgun transactions from taking place. However, what the media aren't reporting is that under the Brady Act, the Clinton Administration has netted only four prosecutions! This should come as no surprise, however, as in the two years that President Clinton has held office, the prosecution of armed criminals has dropped 23%! Again, Clinton and his gun-grabbing cronies have proven that while they may be long on political rhetoric, their commitment to fighting crime has fallen abysmally short! MAINE COURT OVERTURNS BAN ON GUNS IN PUBLIC HOUSING The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, struck down a 20-year state ban on guns in public housing projects, asserting that the Portland Housing Authority lacked the authority to regulate the possession of firearms. This is a victory for gun owners and the NRA, who initiated the lawsuit on the grounds that the ban was unconstitutional and a violation of state law. NRA is exploring similar challenges in other states. SECOND AMENDMENT CONFERENCE A GREAT SUCCESS Constitutional scholars, historians, public policy experts, media representatives and anti-gun advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., April 2-4 to discuss and debate the right to keep and bear arms at the first Second Amendment: Right Under Fire? conference. Their efforts constituted a "grad course" in Second Amendment studies for the more than 300 conference attendees and left no doubt that the Second Amendment has always safeguarded an individual right, a right the Founding Fathers did not invent but knew they must protect. The conference was sponsored by NRA and other organizations which support the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. In addition to listening to the experts who sat on nine different panel discussions, those attending the conference heard rousing speeches from U.S. Sens. Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Larry Craig, Orrin Hatch and Trent Lott. Sen. Gramm stressed crime control over "gun control," reminding conferees of Washington, D.C.'s high murder rate and its "outright gun ban." The nation's capital, Sen. Gramm said, "ought to be living proof that gun control doesn't work." Looking to the future, Sen. Gramm told an appreciative audience that he "can't wait for the opportunity to rewrite the Clinton crime bill." U.S. CONSTITUTION: LEAVE IT ALONE! For many years, a number of governors and state legislators have been calling for a Conference of the States to, among other things, host a convention to re-examine the U.S. Constitution. Currently, there isn't sufficient support for this constitutional convention to take place. NRA is, and has been, opposed to the Conference of the States and its call for a constitutional convention, and believes that the law of our land does not need rewriting. We'll keep you posted! FATAL FIREARMS ACCIDENTS AT ALL-TIME LOW The latest data (for calendar year 1992) from the National Center for Health Statistics has arrived, with good news. The number of fatal firearms accidents for the U.S. for 1992 (1,409) is the lowest yearly number since records began being kept in 1903. The annual number of these accidents has been declining, with a few fluctuations, since 1930. Opponents of our right to keep and bear arms have been comparing guns to cars for some time, claiming that government regulation has reduced car accidents since 1968, and therefore "gun control" would similarly reduce fatal firearms accidents today. However, since 1968, the number of fatal firearms accidents has dropped 41%, while the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents has dropped only 25%. In 1992, fatal firearms accidents comprised only 1.6% of all fatal accidents nationwide. Since 1930, the U.S. population has doubled and the number of privately-owned firearms has quadrupled, yet the annual number of fatal firearms accidents has dropped 56%. The per capita fatal firearms accident rate has dropped 85% since the all-time high recorded in 1904. CDC/UMD "STUDY" OF RIGHT-TO-CARRY LAWS With several state legislatures on the verge of adopting right-to-carry legislation in March, the news media suddenly reported research finding that such laws cause homicide rates to rise. The reports were based on a press release rushed out by University of Maryland researchers summarizing a study not scheduled for publication until this summer. The study -- funded with taxpayer dollars from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- focused on a few metropolitan counties in three states which had recently adopted right-to- carry legislation, two of which (Florida and Oregon) had seen their homicide rates fall after the law took effect and one (Mississippi) which recorded an increase slower than the national murder-rate. These were the same researchers who, using the same methodology, found a sharp drop following adoption of a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., even though the ban was followed first by a slow rise in homicide, then a slow decline, and finally such a dramatic increase that Washington recorded five of the six highest homicide rates in the history of American big cities. It was that study which won them hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for studies like this. NRA-ILA HITS THE AIRWAVES As of March 5, NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa has been featured on a weekly radio show called "Gun Talk," which airs Sunday afternoons from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., on the Talk America Radio Network. Hosted by outdoor writer Tom Gresham, this call- in show gives Mrs. Metaksa time on each week's show (between 4:00 - 4:15 p.m.) to speak directly to relevant issues facing gun owners today. "Gun Talk" has been picked up by some 25 radio stations nationwide. To find out if a station near you is carrying the program, call NRA-ILA! NRA TV IS HERE Get the Truth About Firearms Issues -- Get NRA-TV! NRA-TV, the NRA's weekly one-hour TV newsmagazine, is shown every Wednesday at 10 p.m. E.S.T., on National Empowerment Television (NET). NRA-TV features live news coverage, updates on legislation, live call-in segments, and interviews with newsmakers like Charlton Heston, Sen. Phil Gramm (TX), Rep. Bill Brewster (OK), film director John Milius, actress Susan Howard, and more. If your local cable system doesn't carry NET: (1) Lobby your local cable company. Call and write, and ask them to add National Empowerment Television to their channel lineup. (2) If your cable company says that they don't carry NET live because of satellite access costs, they can still run NRA-TV on videotape. To have tapes sent to a local cable, public access, or broadcast station, please call NRA Public Affairs at (703) 267-3820. (3) Even if local stations won't air NRA-TV or other NET programs, you can still watch them by satellite on the Hughes Galaxy-7 satellite, transponder 20-V. Help spread the word -- help your community get NRA-TV! =+=+=+=+ This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA. This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org, gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org, mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message) Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.